An Hudson County man today admitted his role in a scheme to steal credit cards from the mail, U.S. Attorney Craig Carpenito announced.
Officials say Moussa Dagno, 24, of Harrison, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Katharine S. Hayden in Newark federal court to an information charging him with one count each of bribery of U.S. Postal Service mail carriers and employees, bank fraud and aggravated identity theft. Dagno, who was arrested in February of 2018, remains detained pending his sentencing.
According to documents filed in the case and statements made in court: Dagno recruited several USPS mail carriers and employees to steal credit cards from the mail in exchange for bribes of $100 per stolen card. Dagno activated the cards under false pretenses, and he and others would use the cards to purchase high-end electronics and clothing at various retail stores throughout New Jersey.
At the time of his arrest, law enforcement seized six laptops and a smartphone from Dagno’s residence, all of which had been purchased with credit cards stolen by USPS workers involved in the scheme.
Several of the USPS mail carriers and employees who accepted bribes from Dagno and others have already pleaded guilty to bribery charges and are awaiting sentencing. These individuals include: former mail carriers Zenobia Gilmer, Ayesha Trotz and Kyanne Costley, who had delivery routes in Mt. Arlington, New Jersey, East Orange, New Jersey, and Elizabeth, New Jersey, as well as Jennel Williams, who formerly worked as a clerk in the Main Post Office in Newark. All four admitted to stealing credit cards from the mail and delivering those stolen cards to Dagno or another individual working with Dagno.
The bribery charge to which Dagno pleaded guilty carries a maximum potential penalty of 15 years in prison; the bank fraud charge to which Dagno pleaded guilty carries a maximum penalty of 30 years in prison; and the aggravated identity theft charge to which Dagno plead guilty carries a mandatory sentence of two years in prison, which will be served consecutively to the sentence Dagno receives on the other charges.
The bank fraud charges carries a maximum potential fine of $1 million, while the maximum potential fine for both the bribery and aggravated identity theft is $250,000.
Sentencing is currently scheduled for July 17th.